harry reid saying, he was unable to even counter the latest republican offer. >> at this stage, we're not able to make a counteroffer. it appears there are things that stop us from moving forward. >> reporter: that prompted mitch mcconnell to call for a lifeline. >> i placed a call to the vice president to see if he could help jump start the negotiations on his side. i want everyone to know i'm willing to get this done. but i need a dance partner. >> reporter: with that, vice president biden is now impemers as a key player, playing a direct role in the effort to strike a last-minute deal. the key sticking points remain the same. the white house wants taxes to go up on those making over $250,000 a year. republicans want a higher information threshold. they want to keep the estate tax from going up. there's no agreement on what to do about the automatic spending cuts set to go into effect on january 2nd. both sides have said the cost of failure is extremely high. >> if we're not able to reach an agreement, it will be dire. probably at least another million jobs lost, an unemployment rat